Description: The functions of the DISPLAY PARAMETER OPTIONS WINDOW control various aspects of the model's appearance.
The user initiates the commands via mouse pick. The window remains active in the lower right corner of the screen. A detailed description of each function is given in the following pages.
LINES Turns plot lines on/off.
SHRINK This function reduces the size of all elements by 20 percent. SHRINK is also useful for locating any missing elements in a shell or solid structure.
FILLHIDE This function creates a hidden surface plot for all of the displayed elements, which provides the user with a realistic view of the model.
SURFACES Turns highlighted surfaces on/off.
NORMAL This function displays the orientation of an element with an arrow that is at the centroid of the element and that is perpendicular to the surface of the element. For a solid element, the arrow points toward the bottom surface of the element.
COLOR The FILLCOLOR option fills the displayed elements with a designated part color.
ELEM The ELEM option turns elements on/off.
ORIEN. This function displays element orientation. Beam element orientation is shown by drawing a vector at the first node of the beam toward the element local Y-axis. Shell orientation is shown by drawing an arrow from the first node of an element toward the second node of an element. Solid element orientation is shown by drawing an arrow from the bottom surface toward the top surface. This display is useful for picturing the beam orientation and the normal direction of the shell elements (the normal of the shell follows the right hand rule from the first node to the second node).
Note: The clarity of the element orientation display improves when the SHRINK ELEM ON/OFF command is activated.
SHADE This command displays the elements as if they were illuminated by a light source. Elements that are not directly exposed to the light source are appropriately "shaded" to imitate actual shading.
RESET Returns the DISPLAY PARAMETER OPTIONS WINDOW to its default settings.
CURRENT PART
The current part name window not only lists the current part, but it also serves as a shortcut to execute the current part command. Clicking on this window will execute the CURRENT PART command, allowing the user to set a new current part. See section 9.3.